Bitter Woods

"On December 16th, 1944, Germany launched its last, desperate offensive in the
West. Seven Panzer and thirteen infantry divisions burst out of the
Ardennes and swept through the surprised and thinly held American line. In
the most dramatic and bloodiest battle of the West, the American Army would soon
slow and then stop the spearheads of Hitler's elite panzer armies.

Suitability for PBEM: Using ADC2, I have played over twenty
games of Bitter Woods. The sequence of play is relatively straightforward
and is very close to that used in face-to-face play. Each player turn will
consist of the following mailings: movement, combat orders, combat
advances and mechanized exploitation, and finally, bridge and dump demolitions.

Campaign Summary: The German player must strive to reach the
Meuse and then breach it if he can. Along the way he must take two of
three key objectives: St. Vith, Bastogne, and Marche. Powerful
mechanized forces are available but the terrain does much to channel, and
hinder, his assault. My approach to victory to is to focus on attritioning
the US forces at all costs with particular attention being paid to the US
Artillery arm. The last few days of the campaign game will see the US
having a tremendous advantage in air power and artillery which will be
constantly pushing back German spearheads.

Eight-turn Tournament Scenario Summary: The staple for the PBEM
and the WBC events, this scenario is balanced with a high degree of tension
between players of comparable skill levels. Modifications are planned to
support 5-hour timed tournament rounds.